Recommendations and Comments About Books (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, and Romance) , Book Series, Book Related Materials, and Authors. I do not rate books on the blog but do rate on Goodreads. To see my ratings click on the Goodreads button on the right.

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Where Shadows Dance, A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris

Mystery

The Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries are some of my favorites and I have been waiting for almost a year for Where Shadows Dance to be released. It was worth the wait. C.S. Harris has used the history of the time to write an outstanding mystery and I think Where Shadows Dance is one the best books of the series. England in 1812 is dealing with problems with France, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. The events during this time are the backdrop for the story in Where Shadows Dance.

Sebastian St. Cry’s friend, physician Paul Gibson, has just received the body of Alexander Ross from the resurrection men. Hiring someone to dig up the newly dead is the only way for a physician to get bodies to study. Paul wanted Alexander Ross because he was a young man who died in his sleep from a heart attack. However, when he examined the body he found that Ross had not died from a heart attact but had been stabbed in the neck by a stiletto. That is when he called his friend Sebastian to investigate. Then a second body is found with the same type of wound. What follows are more deaths and more questions.

Sebastian is dealing with more than the mystery of these deaths. His relationship with Hero Jarvis is continuing to develop. Hero has agreed to become his wife and she joins in helping him gain information needed to solve the cases. While they work well together both hide information from the other and trust is a big issue between the two.

Where Shadows Dance is filled with both internal and external conflict and is a perfect blend of mystery and romance. The relationship between Sebastian and Hero is a subtle dance. C.S. Harris shows that less is more in portraying the attraction between the two. The last chapter is the book is perfect. It answers one question while leaving much to the imagination and setting the stage for future books.

You can read Where Shadows Dance as a stand-alone but don’t. So much of the overall plot is woven in each of the books that there is much you would miss by only reading this book. Start with the first book and watch as conflict results from secrets both know and unknown. The books in order are:

What Angles Fear

When Gods Die

Why Mermaids Sing

Where Serpents Sleep

What Remains of Heaven

The next book in the series, book 7 titled When Maidens Mourn, went to the publisher on March 1st and will be released in March 2012. Book 8 is also under contract and is scheduled to come out 8 months after book 7. I will be among the first to buy both.

I had a hard time getting this written. Every time I started to write I ended up rereading parts of the book and this was after I had read it twice. Now I need to buy the two books I do not own so I can re-read the entire series any time I want. That will have to hold me until the next book comes out.